3 things God Wants

Read Jeremiah 44.

The remnant from Judah fled to Egypt to escape the Babylonians.  They forced Jeremiah to go with them.  It apparently did not take long for those from Judah to quickly assimilate into Egyptian idolatry.

One of the idols was worshiped previously (see chapter 7).  They gave full credit to a female goddess for their blessings and blamed their lack of offerings to her as the cause for their great losses.  To the so-called queen of heaven did they pray and sacrifice.  Giving credit, glory, praise, sacrifices, and offerings to anyone but the One, True and Living God is termed here as "evil deeds", "abominations", sin and disobedience (vv.22-23).
 
After all they had experienced and been taught, they failed to learn the lesson.  One of God's questions to them was, "Have you forgotten?" (v.9).  Jeremiah delivered the message straight from the LORD and their response was, "We will not listen to you" (v.16).

Many today will pray to themselves in self-affirmations, look to the stars and universe for guidance, bow before statues, or call upon others in heaven to help them.  The Scriptures could not be more clear.
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time." (1 Timothy 2:5)  Praying to anyone or anything else is sin against God.

What should the people have done instead?  What does God want from us?
The answer is in verse 10.
1. Dependence on God.
The root problem was that these folks pridefully thought that they knew better than the LORD who created them.  God requires a humble heart that is totally submissive to Him.

2. Reverence of God.
There was no respect for who God is, what He has done, or what He has said.  They had no fear of the consequences.  The results were disastrous for them.  Fearing God is the starting point of wisdom and real life (Proverbs 1:7).

3. Obedience to God.
Enjoying His blessings is the benefit of fellowship with God.  Walking with Him moment by moment throughout each day is personal, not philosophical.  We become what He wants us to be and we do what He wants us to do.
"When we walk with the Lord in the Light of His Word what a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His goodwill, He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey."
J. H. Sammis